Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce
| Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Based on |
Girlfriends' Guides series by Vicki Iovine |
| Developed by | Marti Noxon |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Universal Cable Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Bravo |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | December 2, 2014 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce is an American drama television series developed by Marti Noxon for the American cable network Bravo. Based on the Girlfriends' Guides book series by Vicki Iovine,[1] the series revolves around Abby McCarthy, a self-help author who finds solace in new friends and adventures as she faces an impending divorce. Lisa Edelstein portrays the main character Abby, while Beau Garrett, Necar Zadegan, Paul Adelstein and Janeane Garofalo round out the main cast.
Produced by Universal Cable Productions, the series serves as the first original scripted series for Bravo.[2] A 13-episode first season was ordered by the network, which premiered on December 2, 2014.[3] The series was renewed for a second season on February 4, 2015. The show debuted to 1.04 million viewers. Critical reception for the series has initially been generally positive, with particular praise towards Edelstein's performance and the series' quality over the reality series on Bravo.
Cast
Main
- Lisa Edelstein as Abby McCarthy, a self-help book author in her early 40s in Los Angeles. Her marriage has recently ended, throwing both her personal and professional lives into serious disarray.[1]
- Beau Garrett as Phoebe Wells, a recent divorcee and former model. Up until now she has been a typical free sprit but she is now seeking a more stable life.[1]
- Necar Zadegan as Delia Banai, a divorce attorney who represents Abby in her divorce. She struggles with career and personal life balance.[4]
- Paul Adelstein as Jake Novak, Abby's husband from whom she is recently separated. He is a director with a limited amount of success and has up until now lived in Abby's shadow.[1]
- Janeane Garofalo as Lyla, Abby's friend, a divorcee and entertainment lawyer. A bitter custody battle with her ex causes her to leave California in the middle of season 1.[1] (episodes 1–7)
- Alanna Ubach as Jo Hernandez-Frumpkis, a Abby's best friend from college who comes to LA. She is recently separated from her husband after finding out he had a second family[5] (episodes 7–present)
Recurring
- Julianna Guill as Becca Riley, Jake's new girlfriend and a successful actress on a The CW show
- Patrick Heusinger as Max, Abby's brother
- J. August Richards as Ford, husband to Abby's brother
- Warren Christie as Will, Abby's new love interest
- Matthew Glave as Gordon Blake, Delia's client with whom she starts an affair with
- Brandon Jay McLaren as Marco, Phoebe's love interest
Episodes
| No. in | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| series | season | |||||
| 1 | 1 | "Rule No. 23: Never Lie to the Kids" | Adam Brooks | Marti Noxon | December 2, 2014 | 1.04[6] |
| Abby McCarthy, a self-help author who writes about marriage and childcare, struggles to hide the truth about her marriage as she continues to spend time with divorced moms Phoebe and Lyla. Taking advantage of the separation, Abby goes out to a club and later hooks up with a younger man. Lyla gets back at her ex-husband Dan after having sex with him. During a book signing, Abby breaks down and declares her book a lie, exposing the truth about her marriage. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Rule No. 174: Never Trust Anyone Who Charges By the Hour" | Adam Brooks | Marti Noxon | December 9, 2014 | 0.84[7] |
| After her breakdown at the book signing, Abby tries to do damage control. While working out the particulars of the divorce with Jake, such as finding a place for him to live, Abby meets with Delia, a divorce attorney and Lyla's business rival. Phoebe tries to pick an idea for her next business venture, deciding upon infant jewelry. Lyla gets payback on Dan after he has her car impounded with tickets, resulting in him asking for full costody. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Rule No. 47: Always Take Advantage of "Me" Time" | Leslie Libman | Liz Kruger & Craig Shapiro | December 16, 2014 | 0.70[8] |
| Abby has the weekend to herself and uses it to come up with book ideas. However, after getting drunk and wrecking Lilly's poster, Abby, Phoebe and Lyla go out to find a new poster. Jake finally settles into his new place and has the kids over for the weekend. When the kids get bored, he calls Max for help and has Becca Riley come over to liven the evening. Lyla sends her nanny to story time at her kids school, but gets reprimanded by the principal. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Rule No. 426: Fantasyland: A Great Place to Visit" | Robert Duncan McNeill | Paul Adelstein | December 23, 2014 | 0.77[9] |
| Abby pursues a relationship with Nate, but has trouble trying to connect with him on a deeper level. At the suggestion of everyone around her, Lyla tries to find methods of de-stressing. She later fights with Phoebe after trying a special massage without warning of what it entails. Max and Ford are honored at the Family Equality Gala, but Max has trouble getting with the program. Phoebe pursues a relationship with a married man as a way of "saving the relationship". | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Rule No. 21: Leave Childishness to Children" | David Katzenberg | Ed Roe | December 30, 2014 | 0.87[10] |
| Abby runs into Will and tries dating him, and begins experiencing some youthfulness as a result. Lyla's mother (Bernadette Peters) visits during the weekend when she has her first dinner with a court appointed caseworker. Phoebe's relationship with Vika and Merete reaches a new level. Jake has the kids for the weekend, but loses Lilly, who runs out to the same club Abby is at. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Rule No 33: When in Doubt, Run Away" | Victor Nelli Jr. | Marti Noxon & Ilene Rosenzweig | January 6, 2015 | 0.87[11] |
| Phoebe takes Abby, Lyla and Delia to Vegas to promote her infant jewelry line. After being called out by rising author Cleo Stevens, Abby uses the trip to gain some inspiration. Lyla uses the trip to de-stress following an embarrassing dinner with a social worker. Jake and Becca go on a retreat to a visit a shaman to help Jake make a deeper connection in their relationship. Jake stumbles out of the retreat, high, and goes back home, where he and Abby have sex. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Rule No. 67: Don't Kill the Princess" | Daisy Mayer | Janine Nabers | January 13, 2015 | 0.77[12] |
| Abby holds Lilly's birthday party at the house. She also sets the boundaries for the party, initially forbidding Becca from coming, but yields when the party turns out to be a bust. The party suffers a complication when the girls get drunk and put vodka-laced tampons on. Delia handles the divorce of a wealthy businessman (Matthew Glave), but soon becomes enamored with him, starting a secret affair. Becca breaks up with Jake after finding out about his and Abby's tryst. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Rule No. 17: Ask the Answer Lady" | Brian Dannelly | Ashley Cardiff | January 20, 2015 | 0.69[13] |
| Abby's friend Jo (Alanna Ubach) comes to visit during a very hectic time for Abby: She preps for the proposal of her next book while trying to take care of Charlie as Jake takes a directing job for Blood Sisters. Phoebe preps for her baby jewelry launch event while consorting with Ralf's new girlfriend. Delia's affair with Gordon comes to a head when she reaches an impasse on a condition of his divorce with his ex-wife. After experiencing some discourse, Max and Ford try to reconnect on a date. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Rule No. 32: F-You, Rob Frumpkis" | Robert Duncan McNeill | Marti Noxon | January 27, 2015 | 0.91[14] |
| Abby's pitch leads to an opportunity with Huffington Post in which she goes on ten dates and writes about them, one of them with former flame Will. Looking for a new path in life, Phoebe helps out at a home grown foods farm while eyeing the head farmer, Marco (Brandon Jay McLaren). Delia convinces Courtney to give up Asia in the divorce, but breaks up with Gordon after finding out he slept with Courtney. Jo accompanies Abby on several of her dates, and goes home with one of them, which leads to a fight between her and Abby. Meanwhile, her daughter Zoey flies over to stay with her. Max and Ford settle their issues by reverting to their old arrangement. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Rule No. 3: Don't Stand in the Doorway" | Silver Tree | Liz Kruger & Craig Shapiro | February 3, 2015 | 0.74[15] |
| Abby's article trends all over Twitter, so much that she is offered a job as senior editor. However, the article also creates problems for Lilly as her name appears on a slut list circulating throughout the school. Delia struggles to let Gordon into her life while Phoebe helps make Marco's business more successful. When tries to settle her financials and send Zoey to school, she finds out that her husband has a second wife. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Rule No. 46: Keep the Holidays Low Key" | Robert Duncan MCNeill | Ed Roe | February 10, 2015 | 0.83[16] |
| Abby hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for her friends and boyfriend, but has to add the kids to the mix when Jake gets sick, and Jake soon after when Charlie begs for him to come. Delia deals with her difficult father while Phoebe invites Marco to the Thanksgiving dinner. Meanwhile, Abby and Jo look through a box found in the backyard containing photos and letters of a former tenant. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Rule No. 92: Don't Do the Crime If You Can't Do the Time" | Millicent Shelton | Ilene Rosenzweig | February 17, 2015 | 0.74[17] |
| Abby and Jake's divorce is coming to a close, but Abby gets cold feet when Jake starts making strides in his career. After Gordon pulls his business of the law firm, Delia must face her unresolved issues with Gordon to save her job. Phoebe has trouble facing a person from her past while defining the limitations of her relationship with Marco. Jo tries to help Zoey become more social at school while helping out with the school fundraiser. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Rule No. 101: Know When It's Time to Move On" | Robert Duncan McNeill | Marti Noxon | February 24, 2015 | 0.79[18] |
| Abby and Jake finalize the divorce and go out on a divorce signing date to sign it together. Towards the end of the date, Jake proposes that they don't file the papers, expressing that he still loves her. Delia is offered a partner position at the firm, but upon learning the terms of deal, she demands full equity partnership. Meanwhile, Delia reconciles with Gordon but when confronted with the idea of marriage, becomes apprehensive and breaks up with Gordon. Jo holds a divorce party to celebrate Abby's divorce, while going to therapy with her embattled daughter. After blowing up at Kori at school, Phoebe confides in Abby and Marco what Kori did to her when she was younger. Max and Ford continue their arrangement, but soon find out how complicated it is. | ||||||
Reception
Critical response
Edelstein and Garofalo's performances were praised by the critics.
Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce was met with generally positive reviews from television critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the series received an average score of 69, based on 21 reviews. Lori Rackl of Chicago Sun-Times gave the episode a 4 star rating (out of 4 stars), calling it "a sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking story about an L.A.-based self-help author" and added that the first two episodes "reveal a much more nuanced, poignant tale, punctuated by some genuinely funny scenes."[19] LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club gave the series a grade of "A-", calling it "a very solid drama" that should be on HBO or Showtime. Ferguson also praised the characters and the series's messiness, writing "Visually, it’s almost flawless (there’s one obvious green-screen moment in the pilot, but it’s not Ringer level), but every character here is deeply flawed."[20] Los Angeles Times 's Mary McNamara lauded the series' cast's portrayal of the characters and deemed the series "smartly acted, crisply written and willing to address all manner of issues — marriage, betrayal, family economics, friendship, even the pitfalls of public domesticity — in gratifyingly complex ways."[21] Brian Lowry, writing for Variety, applauded the series' cast and material, noting how it sticks to the network's demographic while maintaining a level of quality.[22]
Gail Pennington of St. Louis Post-Dispatch called the series "a smart, solid examination of just how messy relationships are and how hard it is to make them work."[23] Slate 's Willa Paskin highlighted Edelstein's portrayal of the lead character, describing her as "very well cast, both commanding and nurturing enough to seem like the ideal advice-giver" and noted that the series has "a satisfying and complex take on social dynamics in friendship and romance."[24] Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times praised Edelstein and Garofalo as "one reason" the show is entertaining and found the comic side of the series "a lot more fun."[25] Time 's writer James Poniewozik praised the writing and Edelstein's "sympathetic" performance, noting that the latter "grounds a show that often otherwise plays like young-adult fiction for actual adults." However, Poniewozik opined that "there’s one lesson Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce has (over)learned from its Bravo peers: that there’s no reality so compelling that it can’t be sweetened with a little Photoshop."[26] David Hinckley, writing for the New York Daily News, highlighted the series' best moments as those showing the messy side of marital discourse while heralding Edelstein's performance as "memorably moving."[27] Margaret Lyons of Vulture was critical of the several aspects of the series, including the characters Abby and Lyla's attitude on giving their spouses child support, but found the series to be its best "at its nastiest."[28]
Ratings
| No. in | Episode title | Air date | Time slot (EST) | 18–49 demo rating |
Viewership (millions) |
Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| series | season | ||||||
| 1 | 1 | Rule No. 23: Never Lie to the Kids | December 2, 2014 | Tuesdays 10:00 P.M. |
0.5 | 1.04 | [6] |
| 2 | 2 | Rule No. 174: Never Trust Anyone Who Charges By the Hour | December 9, 2014 | 0.4 | 0.85 | [7] | |
| 3 | 3 | Rule No. 47: Always Take Advantage of "Me" Time | December 16, 2014 | 0.3 | 0.70 | [8] | |
| 4 | 4 | Rule No. 426: Fantasyland: A Great Place to Visit | December 23, 2014 | 0.3 | 0.77 | [9] | |
| 5 | 5 | Rule No. 21: Leave Childishness to Children | December 30, 2014 | 0.4 | 0.87 | [10] | |
| 6 | 6 | Rule No 33: When in Doubt, Run Away | January 6, 2015 | 0.4 | 0.87 | [11] | |
| 7 | 7 | Rule No. 67: Don't Kill the Princess | January 13, 2015 | 0.4 | 0.77 | [12] | |
| 8 | 8 | Rule No. 17: Ask the Answer Lady | January 20, 2015 | 0.3 | 0.69 | [13] | |
| 9 | 9 | Rule No. 32: F-You, Rob Frumpkis | January 27, 2015 | 0.4 | 0.91 | [14] | |
| 10 | 10 | Rule No. 3: Don't Stand in the Doorway | February 3, 2015 | 0.3 | 0.74 | [15] | |
| 11 | 11 | Rule No. 46: Keep the Holidays Low Key | February 10, 2015 | 0.4 | 0.83 | [16] | |
| 12 | 12 | Rule No. 92: Don't Do the Crime If You Can't Do the Time | February 17, 2015 | 0.4 | 0.74 | [17] | |
| 13 | 13 | Rule No. 101: Know When It's Time to Move On | February 24, 2015 | 0.3 | 0.79 | [18] | |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bibel, Sara (February 19, 2014). "Bravo Orders 13 Episodes of Scripted Drama 'Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce' Starring Lisa Edelstein". Zap2it. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 19, 2014). "Bravo Picks Up Marti Noxon's 'Girlfriends' Guide To Divorce' As First Scripted Series". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 14, 2014). "'Million Dollar Listing New York' Renewed for Season Four + Bravo Greenlights Three New Series". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Retrieved July 14, 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 14, 2014). "Bravo's 'Girlfriend's Guide To Divorce' Adds 'Rake's Necar Zadegan As New Regular". Deadline. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Alanna Ubach Joins Bravo's 'Girlfriends Guide To Divorce', Matthew Glave & Virginia Williams To Recur". Deadline. August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Metcalf, Mitch (December 3, 2014). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 25 Tuesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 12.2.2014". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bibel, Sara (December 10, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Anarchy' Wins Night, 'Anarchy Afterword', 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Benched', 'Ground Floor' & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kondolojy, Amanda (December 17, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Ink Master' Tops Night + 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills', 'The Curse of Oak Island', NBA Basketball & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Metcalf, Mitch (December 24, 2014). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 25 Tuesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 12.23.2014". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kondolojy, Amanda (January 2, 2015). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: College Football Tops Night + 'Moonshiners' The Little Couple', 'Ground Floor' & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Bibel, Sara (January 8, 2015). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'The Haves and the Have Nots' Wins Night' 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Switched at Birth', 'Dance Moms', 'The Real World' & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Futon Critic Staff (July 13, 2011). "Monday's Cable Ratings: "Pawn Stars" Tops Heated Race". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The Futon Critic Staff (July 20, 2011). "Monday's Cable Ratings: History's "Pawn Stars" Holds Onto Crown". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Kondolojy, Amanda (January 28, 2015). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Tops Night + 'Pretty Little Liars', 'The Haves and the Have Nots', 'Sons of Liberty' & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Bibel, Sara (February 4, 2015). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Being Mary Jane' Wins Night, 'Moonshiners', 'The Haves and the Have Nots', 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Justified' & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Kondolojy, Amanda (February 11, 2015). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'The Haves and the Have Nots' Tops Night + 'Being Mary Jane', 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Bibel, Sara (February 19, 2015). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: '19 Kids and Counting' Wins Night, 'Being Mary Jane', 'Pretty Little Liars', 'Rizzoli & Isles', 'Cougar Town' & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 25 Tuesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 2.24.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ↑ Rackl, Lori (November 30, 2014). "Bravo found a keeper with great new series 'Girfriends' Guide to Divorce'". Chicago Sun-Times (Chicago: Tim Knight). Sun-Times Media Group. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ Ferguson, LaToya (December 2, 2014). "Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce is Bravo’s beautifully messy introduction to scripted drama". The A.V. Club. Chicago: The Onion, Inc. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ McNamara, Mary (December 2, 2014). "Review 'Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce' marries Bravo to good TV". Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles: Austin Beutner). Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ Lowry, Brian (November 30, 2014). "TV Review: Bravo’s ‘Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce’". Variety (Los Angeles). Penske Business Media. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ↑ Pennington, Gail (December 2, 2014). "TV review: Bravo's 'Girlfriends' Guide' is surprisingly good". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis: Ray Farris). Lee Enterprises. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ↑ Paskin, Willa (December 2, 2014). "Lowbrow and Delectable". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ↑ Stanley, Alessandra (December 1, 2014). "Divvying Up Perks, Pity, Scorn and Snark". The New York Times (New York City: Dean Baquet). The New York Times Company. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ↑ Poniewozik, James (December 1, 2014). "Review: The Image-Conscious Uncoupling of Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce". Time (New York City: Time Inc.). Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ↑ Roush, Matt (December 2, 2014). "Tuesday TV: One for the Family (Toy Story) and One for Adults (Girlfriends' Guide)". TV Guide. Radnor: CBS Interactive. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ↑ Lyons, Margaret (December 2, 2014). "Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, Bravo’s First Scripted Series, Is At Its Best When It’s At Its Nastiest". New York. New York City: New York Media, LLC. Retrieved 25 February 2015.